Motor fuels



MOTOR FUELS John Henry Dehane Hooper and David TulIocli McAlIan,

No Drawing. Application November 15, 1956- Serial No. 622,259

Claims priority, application Great Britain- November 24, 1955 '5 Claims. (Cl. 4469) This invention relates to motor fuels for the operation of internal combustion engines, and its principal object is to enable high octane motor gasolines to be produced from petroleum hydrocarbons without adversely affecting the other desirable properties of the gasoline.

Catalytic cracking and hydroforming are among the processes which contribute to the production of high octane gasolines. In the catalytic cracking process, a petroleum feedstock boiling above the gasoline boiling range is cracked in the presence of a catalyst to produce hydrocarbons boiling in the gasoline boiling range, while in the hydroforming process, petroleum naphthas that have a low octane number are contacted at elevated temperature in the presence of hydrogen with a catalyst capable of converting naphthenes into aromatics to give aproduct of greatly increased octane number. A hydro forming process that has been widely adopted uses a platinum-containing catalyst and such a process will hereinafter be referred to as platforming.

It is known that total platformate may be divided into a higher boiling fraction anda lower boiling fraction, the

tes Patent out danger of fuel-system vaporlocking. In the United '7 Kingdom, a recovery at 100 C. in the range 4055% (vol. is common practice.

Accordingtothe invention a' high octane. motor gasoline of adequate volatility consists. essentially of a blend of between 40 and 60% by volumeof a high octane, low

' volatility component consisting of the higher boiling fracformer having the higher octane number, but it is not possible to use such higher boiling fraction per se as a motor gasoline since its volatility is far too low. This' lack of volatility may be overcome to some extent by blending the higher boiling fraction of the platformate with a lower boiling fraction of catalytically cracked gasoline. Thus, a blend of by volume of the higher boiling fraction constituting 50% by weight of the platformate, and 50% by volume of the I.B.P.1'5'0 0'. fraction of catalytically cracked gasoline, has an octane number of 98-99 research with the addition of 1 /2 cc per gallon of TEL, but the volatility of the blend needs to be still further increased by adding a proportion of a highly volatile material, such as isopentane. The quantity of such highly volatile material that can be added however is limited by the tendency of the resulting gasoline to cause vapour lock in the engine.

The principal object of the present invention is to enable high octane motor gasoline to be produced of adequate volatility, Without the use of highly volatile blending components that tend to cause vapor lock. By adequate volatility is meant that necessary to ensure acceptable engine starting and warm-up charactenstics withtionof a pla-tformate constituting between'40' and 'by weight of the platformate,. and between- 60 and 40% by volume of a high octane, high. volatility component consisting of the lower boiling fraction of a catalytically cracked gasoline, said lower boiling fraction having an end boiling point between and 120 C.

According to the preferred embodiment, the blend comprises equal proportions by volume of the two components, and the lower boiling fraction of the catalytically cracked gasolinehas a finalboiling point of C. Such ablend has an octane number of over 100 with the addition of 1 .5 cc. per gallon of TEL, and its volatility is adequate without the use of other blending components.

The method of preparation of the volatile catalytically cracked gasolinefractionis important. While the selection of the distillation range of this component is mainly designed to compensate for the low volatility of the platformate residue, it is also desirable to obtain the maximum octane number level possible for the selected cracked gasoline cut. To ensure maximum octane numher and lead response for both the cracked gasoline component and the-finished blend, it is important to-minimise the concentration of pro-knock and lead-antagonistic sulfur compounds.

Suitable methods of reducing the sulfur content of value should therefore obviously be as low as possible if maximum octane number advantage isto be obtained for such blends.

The invention will now be described with reference to the following examples.

EXAMPLE. 1

fraction had. been cooper chloride sweetened and. had. a.

total sulfur content of about 0.04% Wt.

Table 1 Composition, percent volume Components:

C-100O. light cat. cracked gasoline 100 50 55 60.

55% weight platforrnate residue 100 50 45% weight platiormate residue Specific gravity, 60l60 F 0. 6730 Distillation test:

I.B.P 30

2% recovered at- 0.. 35. 5

5% recovered at-.- 0.-

% recovered at-. 0.. 39. 5

% recovered at.. C. 42. 5

% recovered at. C.. 46

% recovered at 0.- 50

50% recovered at... C-. 51

60% recovered at C.. 59

70% recovered at 0.. 65. 5

80% recovered at.- 0.. 73

00% recovered at.. 0.. 82

F.B.P 0.- 97

percent.-- 97. 5 (l 0. 7 l. 8 75. 5 100 Recovered at 140 C- Reid vapour pressure 12. 4 Octane numberMotor-Olear 80. 7 Octane numberMotor-|-l.5 ml. 84. 9 Octane number-Research-Clear 94. 5 05 ml TEL/USG (100 7) Octane nnmberResearch+1.5 ml. TEL/IG. 98. 8 ICs+0.13 ml. ICg+0.26 ml. 100.0 ICa+0.05 ml. IO5+0.04 ml. TEL/USO: TEL/USO: TEL/USG TEL/USG (101.7). (103.1). (100.7) (100.5).

EXAMPLE 2 octane contaimng varyin g amounts of TEL/USG and Two blends were made up from the C to 100 C. Octane number derived from the equation fraction of a catalytically cracked gasoline and a wt. residue fraction from a platformate having a re- 100+ erformance No search octane number of 95. Inspection data on the 35 Octane components and the blends are set out in the following table, N0. 2. The catalytically cracked gasoline fraction had been solntised and had a total sulfur content of Where the performance number is derived by standard 0.02% wt. methods from the leaded iso-octane value.

Table 2 Components I Blends Composition, percent vol.:

05-100 C. light cat. cracked gasoline 100 50 60.

55 percent weight platformate residue 1 50 40.

Specific gravity, /G0 F 0. 6725 0.8635 0.7710 0.7520. Distillation test:

60% recovered at...- 0.- 55 148 1 109. recovered an-.- 0-. 60 152 5... 140 129 5 i recovered at 0.. 6". 5 158..- 1495.. 144 5 recovered at.- (3.. 77. 5 166 160 159. F.B.P C.. 102 205 19 193 Recovery- -percent.- 99 99 98.5. 98 Residue. .-do. 0. 6 0 5---. 0.7-... 1. Loss ..d0... 0. 4 0 5..- 0.8.-- 1. Recovered at 70 0... ..d0. 84 25 37. Recovered at 0-. -.do.- 99 44.5.- 56. Recovered at 0.- (10..-. 38. 70. 77. Reid vapour pressure ..lb.. 13. 9 Nil 7.2-.. 8.0. Octane number-Motor-Olear 80. 4 97 6--- 87.8 80.5 Octane numbcrMotor 1.5 ml. TEL/1G 84. 4 99.9 90.1.-.. 89. Octane numberResearchClear 95. 1 1055-8139 ml. TEL/USG IC -50.05 ml. TEL/USG 99.5.

. (100.7). Octane numberResearch+l.5 ml. lEL/IG..--- 90. 2 IOg|-'1.58 ml. TEL/USG IC -+0.20 ml. TEL/USG ro8+o.12 ml. TEL/USG In the preceding examples, the antlknock values in We claim:

excess of 100 ON. are quoted in terms of both iso- 75 1. A motor gasoline in which the active ingredients therein consist of a blend of between about 40% and 60% by volume of a high octane, low volatility componcnt consisting of the higher boiling firaction of a platformate constituting between about 40% and 60% by weight of the platformate, and between about 60% and 40% by volume of a high octane, high volatility component consisting of the lower boiling fraction of a catalytically cracked gasoline, said lower boiling fraction having an end boiling point between 80 and 120 C.

2. A motor gasoline according to claim 1, wherein the lower boiling fraction of the catalytically cracked gasoline has an end boiling point of 100 C.

3. A motor gasoline in accordance with claim 1, in which the active ingredients are present in equal proportions by volume.

4. A motor gasoline according to claim 3, wherein the lower boiling fraction of the catalytically cracked gasoline has an end boiling point of 100 C.

5. A high octane, high volatility motor gasoline in which the active ingredients therein consist of a blend of between about and by volume of a high octane, low volatility component consisting of the higher boiling fraction of a platformate constituting between 40% and 60% by weight of the reformate, and between 60% and 40% by volume of a high octane, high volatility component consisting of the lower boiling fraction of a catalytically cracked gasoline, said lower boiling fraction having an end boiling point between and 120 C., and a minor amount of tetra ethyl lead, said gasoline having a Research Octane Number of at least with 1.5 cc. of tetra ethyl lead/IG and a 40% to 55% volume recovery at 100 C.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

5. A HIGH OCTANE, HIGH VOLATILITY MOTOR GASOLINE IN WHICH THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS THEREIN CONSIST OF A BLEND OF BETWEEN ABOUT 40% AND 60% BY VOLUME OF A HIGH OCTANE, LOW VOLATILITY COMPONENT CONSISTING OF THE HIGHER BOILING FRACTION OF A PLATFORMATE CONSTITUTING BETWEEN 40% AND 60% BY WEIGHT OF THE REFORMATE, AND BETWEEN 60% AND 40% BY VOLUME OF A HIGH OCTANE, HIGH VOLATILITY COMPONENT CONSISTING OF THE LOWER BOILING FRACTION OF A CATALYTICALLY CRACKED GASOLINE, SAID LOWER BOILING FRACTION HAVING AN END BOILING POINT BETWEEN 80* AND 120% C., AND A MINOR AMOUNT OF TETRA ETHYL LEAD SAID GASOLINE HAVING A RESEARCH OCTANE NUMBER OF AT LEAST 100 WITH 1.5 CC. OF TETRA ETHYL LEAD/IG AND A 40% TO 55% VOLUME RECOVERY AT 100* C. 